Middle Orient

Terror leader issues threat if Israel doesn’t stop retaliating for balloon-borne attacks, end blockade on enclave; says Gaza groups have already formulated plan of action A senior member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad said Saturday that Gaza terror groups have sent a message to Egyptian mediators warning of a violent response …

Now that the 18-year period is recognized as a campaign, with a medal for its soldiers, some security zone veterans look back and find unexpected relevance for them and the country On the night of May 24, 2000, Brig. Gen. Benny Gantz passed through a gate in the fence between …

Ex-Mossad deputy chief Ben-Barak says hardliner’s election as president is proof of Iran’s radicalization on nuclear, terror policies; Putin quick to congratulate ultraconservative The head of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee said Saturday that the election of hardliner Ebrahim Raisi as Iran’s president would present a challenge for …

Iranians voted Friday in a presidential election marked by a low turnout and a lack of formidable rivals to the candidacy of Iran’s ultraconservative judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi. There were no official estimates of the turnout from Iran’s Interior Ministry as polling stations closed at 2 a.m. Saturday local time. …

In retrospect, Germany’s much-vaunted Hezbollah ban appears to have been little more than a publicity stunt aimed at silencing critics of the German government’s pro-Iran foreign policy. Hezbollah has effectively evaded the ban by transferring many of its activities to charities and cultural centers controlled by Iran. Iran’s main base …

Dialogue seems to be in vogue in today’s Middle East. Iranian and American negotiators are in Vienna to find a way to restore the 2015 nuclear deal that President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018. Iranian and Saudi security officials recently held meetings in Baghdad to mend their relations. and …

Iranians will go to the polls this Friday to choose the successor to centrist President Hassan Rouhani, who is winding down his second four-year term and cannot run for reelection. The polls will take place in an atmosphere of widespread public apathy, as voters choose from a list of presidential …

No Israeli casualties as female alleged assailant targets soldiers northeast of Jerusalem; attacker reportedly wrote on Facebook: ‘I don’t have much time left in life’ A female Palestinian assailant attempted to commit a car-ramming and stabbing attack Wednesday in the central West Bank before being shot, the Israel Defense Forces …

The British lawyer urges countries to utilize Hague-based court only as ‘last resort’; predecessor warns of efforts to ‘politicize’ investigations British lawyer Karim Khan was sworn in Wednesday as the new chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, pledging to reach out to nations that are not members of the …

Experts say Jordanian intelligence leaked former minister’s confession before trial; ex-crown prince Hamzah reportedly said control over Jerusalem holy sites not a priority for him A former Jordanian minister facing charges of sedition against King Abdullah II sought to re-establish his residency in Jerusalem in order to conduct real estate …